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There is a lot your vet can learn from a single urine sample that you collect from your pet, for example, the health of your pet’s urinary tract and kidneys, together with other organs such as pancreas and liver. However, this will not matter if you did not find an animal friendly vet, where they care about the well-being of your pets.
Usually, the vets at https://gordonvet.com.au/killara-vet-hospital/ prefer to collect the urine sample directly from your pet’s bladder, which is a sterile procedure that is done at the clinic. However, other times you may be asked to bring a urine sample in yourself, and that is a good reason to know how to properly collect a urine sample.
Keep it clean
There is a no-way for a free-catch urine sample to be fully sterile, but the sample you collect should be somewhat free from additional bacteria, feces, dirt and pet hair. For male dogs’ who lift their legs up, you will need a plastic cup or a clean glass, and if you have a female dog or the ones that squat while they pee, you should use a flat rimmed container.
You can always ask your vet for advice
As it should be obvious, you need to thoroughly clean the container you will be using to collect urine with loads of hot, soapy water and it also needs to be dried completely. Since the urine catching can be messy, consider using latex gloves.
Collect sample in the morning
As with humans, the best way to know what is wrong is by collecting urine first thing in the morning, unless your vet specifies otherwise. To be safe, you need one or two tablespoons, since vets do not need more than that.
Wake up earlier than your cats to collect the sample
The stealth approach
Pets tend to want a little privacy during their potty, and they would probably not like seeing you hover over them trying to collect a sample. One good way to collect a sample without disrupting your pet is to tape a clean steel soup ladle to the end of a yardstick. This way you can position that container below your pet, and collect a sample.
You can also try to put your dog on a leash, so he can be close to you while he starts to pee. You will be ready to act as soon as your pet gets the urge to pee, and you will be able to position yourself much easier.
For cats
You should use a non-absorbable litter. They are the plastic pellets, that are usually available from your vet or you can buy them at a retail store. However, you need to give your cat something to paw at, but it should not absorb urine.
Keep it fresh
Place a sample in the container that has a leak proof top. This cup might be provided by your veterinarian, or you can just use a clean cup with a secure top. The sample you collect should be brought to your vet as soon as possible, ideally, within 2h.
Final word
Anything else you might be interested in, you should ask your vet for advice. This also means that you should find a good animal hospital you trust, and a good example of that is a trusted West Lindfield vet like Gordon Vet Hospital.
